Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Grace by Elizabeth ScottSeptember 16, 2010/DuttonGrace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.
Told in spare, powerful prose, this tale of a dystopian near future will haunt readers long after they've reached the final page.Why I want this: It's ELIZABETH SCOTT! Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Unfortunately, with everything going I really haven't been able to read as much as I wanted to. Luckily for me, summer school is almost over and I'll have July pretty much free to read and work on my blog. My goal is to read 40 books by the end of summer.

For the record, I don't plan on reading all of these, but I would like to get through most.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Everyone knows about Anne Frank and her life hidden in the secret annex – but what about the boy who was also trapped there with her?
In this powerful and gripping novel, Sharon Dogar explores what this might have been like from Peter’s point of view. What was it like to be forced into hiding with Anne Frank, first to hate her and then to find yourself falling in love with her? Especially with your parents and her parents all watching almost everything you do together. To know you’re being written about in Anne’s diary, day after day? What’s it like to start questioning your religion, wondering why simply being Jewish inspires such hatred and persecution? Or to just sit and wait and watch while others die, and wish you were fighting.
As Peter and Anne become closer and closer in their confined quarters, how can they make sense of what they see happening around them?
Anne’s diary ends on August 4, 1944, but Peter’s story takes us on, beyond their betrayal and into the Nazi death camps. He details with accuracy, clarity and compassion the reality of day to day survival in Auschwitz – and ultimately the horrific fates of the Annex’s occupants.Why I want this: I'm sure a lot of you have read The Diary of Anne Frank, or at least know about it and know the background story. This book sounds fantastic and I would love to read something like this! Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Friday, June 18, 2010

When the fantastic people over at the CSN Stores contacted me about doing a review of one of their products, I could not pass up this wonderful opportunity! With over 200 different sites, there are thousands of things to pick from! There's everything from bookcases to lights!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Summary: This is a compelling and beautifully written novel about first love, first sex, and everything in between. Maddy Fisher has decided to fall in love. And not just any sort of love: can't-eat can't-sleep crazy in love. Rich Ross is after the same thing. He's set his sights high, and he's going to make it happen. The problem is, in life's messy whirlwind of friends and lies and sex and porn, the real thing can be hard to fine. But there's always a first time for everything...

Why I want this: This novel sounds absolutely fantastic. I love books on first love and I like that this book sounds different from any of the others that I've

Monday, June 14, 2010

I know I'm wicked late in doing this, but I wanted to share the things that I finished.
• I got a new blog layout. I liked my old blog layout when I first did it blogger templates, but there was just too much white fore me. Then, I found that there was a feature where you could just have the posting area part white and the sidebars a different color. Wicked! I'm still messing with it and that header part is really annoying the hell out of me. I can't even tell you how much. I tried everything, but it won't go away. *sigh*
(Blogger just completely shut down on me and the part above is the only thing that saved. Grr!)
• I created my review template and other ones.
• Updated my goodreads and wishlist.
• I did some mini-challenges.
• Organized images for blog on my computer.
• Entered some contests.
• Created my new feature: Books of the Past and worked on this new meme I'm doing.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

This is an idea I've had for a few months but never really got around to putting it up. Thanks to bloggiesta, I finally decided to go ahead do it!

A lot of the time, I find myself reading books that have been release for years and not just recent ones. Books of the Past is a feature where I show only books that have already been released (for at least six months) that I don't have and want to read. This isn't a feature, meme that I see myself doing every single week but just whenever. I'll list the reasons behind why I want to read them, as well.

I used photoshop and I couldn't get them to upload because of the format or whatever and so I copied/pasted them and now the pictures might not show up and I'm very frustrated. Grr! EDIT: I FINALLY got to to work.

SCUM Manifesto by Valerie Solanas (May 2004 -First published in 1968/Verso) – Feminism, Andy Warhol...two of my favorite things. Need I say more? SCUM = Society For Cutting Up Men. I also really like the name Valerie and want to read what this radical feminist wrote about. I hear it's wicked short, too.

Conception by Kalisha Buckhanon (January 2008/St. Martin's Griffin) – Saw this in my school's library one day and loved the sound of it. Chicago 1992, 15 year old Shivana lives in a tough environment and visits her Aunt Jewel. She becomes pregnant by an older man, falls in love with someone her age. Saw some really good reviews, too!

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (August 2005/Farrar, Straus and Giroux) – I never got to finish The Lovely Bones before having to turn it back in to the library but I was really likely it! When I heard that there was this book with a somewhat similar plot I knew I had to read it!

Push by Sapphire (June 1996/Knopf) – If you heard or seen the movie Precious, which came out last year, you might know that the movie is based off of this book. Although, I found the movie to be very depressing and hard to watch, I can't help but want to read this book.

Oh. My. Gods by Tera Lynn Childs (May 2008/Dutton Juvenile) – Greek mythology AND RUNNING. In my Books I Want To Read More Of post, I mentioned that I can't seem to find books that feature characters that run cross country or track. This book has two really great subjects and I can't wait to read it.

Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson (August 2009/Hyperion Book CH) – The MC, Leigh Nolan, has started college and is majoring in psychology. That right there interests me because I love anything psychology and I haven't read many books where the main characters is actually in college (the last book I can think of that I read that featured this was the Jessica Darling series.) I haven't seen much about it but what I've seen has been good!

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce (September 2009/HarperTeen) – First off, I think Jackson Pearce is just the coolest (you should check out her Youtube!) I really like the plot of this book; definitely unique and mythical. There's a genie and the three wishes, but there is a twist to it. The genie falls for the Viola and Viola falls in love with him. I can't wait to see how it plays out.

Fat Cat by Robin Brande (October 2009/Knopf Books) – I just want to read this SOO much. I love books like this and this one sounds just so freakin' fantastic! "This funny and thoughtful novel explores how girls feel about their bodies, and the ways they can best take care of their most precious resource: themselves." Doesn't that sound awesome? I'm a fan of books that feature strong girls.

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson (June 2003/Simon & Schuster) – When I was in 7th grade, my English teacher started reading this book to us, but I guess we got too busy or something and could never finish it; we only got about 15 pages in. It's about a teenage guy that gets a girl pregnant and the girl goes into a coma during labor and struggles with raising the baby. I hear there's a surprise ending or something.

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols (March 2009/MTV Books) – I have only heard good things about this book and I absolutely love the sound of it. Meg just wants to get away from her town and the love interest, John, is the complete opposite of her...I love the sound of their relationship!

So, what do you guys think of this feature? I don't really like the name of this feature, but couldn't think of anything else. I would love any suggestions! : )

This one was the first one I did! Basically, we were supposed to visit ten blogs we've never been to before and leave a meaningful comment. Here are the awesome blogs I found through random comments on other blogs and the YA Book Blog Directory:

Jailed at age sixteen for armed robbery, Nathan Henry was the kind of teenager most parents and teachers have nightmares about. His crime was the culmination of a life lived on the edge: guns and drugs, sex and violence, all set against the ordinary backdrop of a one-stop light town in rural Illinois. Nate’s personal history is both disturbing and fascinating. A rough childhood becomes an adolescence full of half-realized violent fantasies that slowly build to the breaking point. But these scenes alternate with chapters about Nate’s time in jail, where through reading and reflection he comes to see that his life can be different from all he’s known up to this point.

Friday, June 11, 2010

From June 11-13th, Natasha at Mawbooks is hosting Bloggiesta! Bloggiesta is a chance for bloggers to improve their blogs by doing things such as creating guest blog posts, finishing up reviews, and making business cards.

Some of these things look more like a personal note (I make so many to-do lists a week) but here are some things I'm planning on doing:

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Summary: You all believe that losing one-hundred-plus pounds will solve everything, but it won’t. Something far heavier is weighing on you, and until you deal with that, nothing in your lives will be right.”
–Betsy Glass, PhD, at first weekly group counseling session for ten severely obese teens admitted into exclusive weight-loss surgery trial
Patient #1: Female, age 16, 5'4", 288 lbs.
Thrust into size-zero suburban hell by remarried liposuctioned mom. Hates new school and skinny boy-toy stepsister. Body size exceeded only by her big mouth.
Patient #2: Male, age 16, 6'2", 335 lbs.
All-star football player, but if he gets “girl surgery,” as his dad calls it, he’ll probably get benched. Has moobies—male boobies. Forget about losing his V-card—he’s never even been kissed.
Patient #3: Female, age 15, 5'6", 278 lbs.
Morbidly obese and morbid, living alone with severely depressed mother who won’t leave her bed. Best and only friend is another patient, whose dark secret threatens everything Patient #3 believes about life.
Told in the voices of patients Marcie Mandlebaum, Bobby Konopka, and Annie “East” Itou, Teenage Waistland is a story of betrayal, intervention, a life-altering operation, and how a long-buried truth can prove far more devastating than the layers of fat that protect it.

WHY I WANT IT: I absolutely love The Who, so the title is a great spin (someone should make a trailer for the book using that song)! I love the plot. I love books that deal with weight books, like this. I can't wait to read it.

I have been meaning to put a list together for quite some time now. Below are some of the things I enjoy reading in books. However, I can't seem to find a lot books that fit theses categories and need some suggestions. At the end there will be a form to leave suggestions and after I post the 2nd part for this, I will compile a list of suggestions I get!

EDIT: I posted this a couple weeks ago but did not get the response I was hoping for, so I'm posting it again if you missed it!

1. Boarding Schools

No. I'm not talking about books where the girl goes off to a boarding school and suddenly she becomes wicked popular and/or posh and a snob. I enjoy reading the ones where the MC finds herself/himself making new friends, experiencing new things and really in depth stories. Maybe it's because I've always longed to go to a boarding school (crazy, I know!) or the fact that I got accepted into this fancy-smancy private school but the tuition was 16k but I can't help it! I like reading these kind of books.
Books that feature boarding schools: Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, Viola In Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani, Looking For Alaska by John Green

2. Cross Country/Running and other sports

Anyone who follows my twitter or has checked out my sports blog knows that I am on the cross country team and have a passion for running. I have read very few books that feature the main character on the XC or track&field team. Actually, I really haven't read books with the MC is on a sports team...at least ones that are female. I would prefer books that have the character working hard to become the best at whatever his/her sport is. Sometimes, it annoys me when the MC
Books where the MC is a runner: Smart Boys & Fast Girls by Stephie Davis, I also read another book last March where the MC was training for the San Diego (or some city in Cali) Rock and Roll Marathon. Throughout the book she was looking for her father, who might've been in a band. I can't remember the title or author! So if you know the title, please leave it in the box below!

3. Pregnancies

I haven't really read a book that deals with a teenage pregnancy. I don't know why but I want to read novels that feature the MC getting pregnant and seeing how she and the people deal with it. I see so many girls at my school that are pregnant and are barely 16 years old. I want to get an insight, as much as I can, on what goes inside the head of the girl. Leave suggestions of your favorite, or most realistic book that deals with a pregnancy.

4. Surprise Endings

The fact of the matter is, I am really entertained with books that have twist endings! Books that can leave my mouth hanging open and I never saw whatever happened coming are awesome (usually!) Unfortunately, I can't seem to recall a lot of books I've read that are like this. Please leave me suggestions! These can fall under Adult if it has the cross-over appeal.
Book endings where I've been shocked by: Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult, Life of Pi by Yann Martel

5. Body/Weight Issues

As someone who used to have a low self-esteem when it came to my body and weight (heck, I still do, but not as much as I used to) I love reading books where I can kind of relate to the characters. I'm not exactly looking for eating disorder type books but I would love suggestions on books where the MC is trying to lose weight (I know this is cliché, but I absolutely love really good ones) or tries to fix her appearance somehow.

6. Tearjerkers

Call me insane, but I absolutely love a good novel that will make me bawl my eyes out. Not too many will make me cry. They might make me sad and all but it doesn't cause tears. Of course, this is an entirely different story when I read a Jodi Picoult novel (but I've only read, like, 4.) Of course, I understand that usually books that make people cry are ones that have MC deaths but it's fine, I'll have my tissue ready!
Books that have made me cry: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Monday, June 7, 2010

Summary: When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

Review: After reading PERFECT CHEMISTRY and absolutely loving it, I had to get a copy of the sequel! I expected it to be good but I definitely didn't expect to like it more than the first book, as I almost never like sequels better than the first.

RULES OF ATTRACTION is just fantastic. I don't even know how to explain it. There were many similarities to PERFECT CHEMISTRY, so the originality was lacking a bit, but at the same time, there were different, unique things about it – which were the things that ultimately made me like it more than the first book; and believe me, I adored it.

Carlos Fuentes is sent from Mexico to live with his brother, Alex, in Boulder, Colorado. After getting into some trouble he finds himself living at living at the Westford's house. Kiara, their daughter, and Carlos don't exactly connect right away; There's the bantering, the pranks and so many other things. The romance is pretty amazing once they do. I loved this couple. (Warning: there are almost sex scenes)

I am always on the lookout for books that feature strong, independent girls and Kiara Westford is one of them. I wasn't sure what this character would be like but after reading just one chapter from her POV, she instantly became a favorite. I loved that she was sportive, knew how to fix cars, and had flaws such as stuttering. Elkeles writes characters with real qualities.

With characters like the two main characters and Tuck, Kiara's gay best friend, it was hard not to laugh. I enjoyed Tuck's personality -so funny and charming! If you are looking for an amazing, romantic and humorous book you should check this out! I can not wait until the 3rd book comes out. In the meantime, I'll have to get Simone's other books.

RATING

Writing: 5/5

Originality: 3/5

Characters: 5/5

Voice: 5/5

Ending: 4.5/5

Overall:5 stars

Favorite character(s): Kiara & Tuck. I really enjoyed their friendship and for reasons listed above.
Cover: C+ I found myself absolutely loving the cover for PERFECT CHEMISTRY but this cover is only okay. I like the cars but other than that, I really don't care for it.

Put-down-ability: Very low! Probably a 2/10. The only time I really put it down was when I went to eat some pancakes at IHOP. Even then, I brought it in with me to read while I waited for my food! Haha

*Source: bought from B&N

As you can see, I kind of changed how I do my reviews around a little. If you would take just a few minutes, I would love your input on my reviews!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human ... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

I'll be starting tomorrow at 7 AM and ending on Monday at 7 AM (Damn. I also start summer school, too! UGH) I hope I can finish all of these books by then! I also have to go to piano lesson, make time for a couple of runs (to get in shape for cross country practice on Tuesday,) and who knows what else.